IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ers/journl/vxxivy2021i3-part2p22-35.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social Norms Concerning Financial Liability for Various Indebtedness Experiences and Borrowing Plans: Evidence from Poland

Author

Listed:
  • Anna M. Helka
  • Tomasz Grzyb

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines the relationship between social norms and credit use. Design/Methodology/Approach: Analysis of variance and Chi squares were used to analyze the data collected in the survey. Findings: In the survey, model borrowers present the highest level of internalization of norms, along with thoughtfully incurred liabilities that they pay back on time. They treat loans as a standard form of financing that does not involve negative emotions. Unreliable debtors internalize more strongly the norms, thus not paying loans on time or spending more than they earn while acknowledging they will have issues with debt repayment because living with debt is the norm for them. Non-borrowers would only take a loan as a last resort because of the psychological burden. Repaying all liabilities on time is their absolute priority. They would not be able to function normally with debt. People planning loans in the near future treat both the borrowing itself and the failure to repay all loans on time as the norm. Those who do not plan to borrow internalize the norms of avoiding loans, especially those they could not repay, and have a negative association with loans. Practical Implications: Sharing social norms can explain credit use behaviors and may be helpful both for lenders and debt collection companies. Originality/value: Our study has shown significant relationship between social norms and credit use.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna M. Helka & Tomasz Grzyb, 2021. "Social Norms Concerning Financial Liability for Various Indebtedness Experiences and Borrowing Plans: Evidence from Poland," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(3 - Part ), pages 22-35.
    • Handle: RePEc:ers:journl:v:xxiv:y:2021:i:3-part2:p:22-35
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ersj.eu/journal/2449/download
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bicchieri, Cristina & Dimant, Eugen & Gächter, Simon & Nosenzo, Daniele, 2022. "Social proximity and the erosion of norm compliance," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 59-72.
    2. Johan Almenberg & Annamaria Lusardi & Jenny Säve‐Söderbergh & Roine Vestman, 2021. "Attitudes towards Debt and Debt Behavior," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 123(3), pages 780-809, July.
    3. Anna M. Helka & Dominika Maison, 2021. "Predictors of the Propensity to Incur Loans for Varying Purposes in the Future," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 1114-1128.
    4. Elster, Jon, 1989. "Social Norms and Economic Theory," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 3(4), pages 99-117, Fall.
    5. Lea, Stephen E. G. & Webley, Paul & Walker, Catherine M., 1995. "Psychological factors in consumer debt: Money management, economic socialization, and credit use," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 681-701, December.
    6. Cristina Bicchieri & Eugen Dimant & Simon Gächter & Daniele Nosenzo, 2020. "Observability, Social Proximity, and the Erosion of Norm Compliance," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 009, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    7. Hoelzl, Erik & Pollai, Maria & Kamleitner, Bernadette, 2009. "Experience, prediction and recollection of loan burden," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 446-454, June.
    8. Tokunaga, Howard, 1993. "The use and abuse of consumer credit: Application of psychological theory and research," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 285-316, June.
    9. Gathergood, John, 2012. "Self-control, financial literacy and consumer over-indebtedness," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 590-602.
    10. Lea, Stephen E. G. & Webley, Paul & Levine, R. Mark, 1993. "The economic psychology of consumer debt," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 85-119, March.
    11. Noah J. Goldstein & Robert B. Cialdini & Vladas Griskevicius, 2008. "A Room with a Viewpoint: Using Social Norms to Motivate Environmental Conservation in Hotels," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 35(3), pages 472-482, March.
    12. Robert Cialdini, 2007. "Descriptive Social Norms as Underappreciated Sources of Social Control," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 72(2), pages 263-268, June.
    13. Fred Luthans & Elina S Ibrayeva, 2006. "Entrepreneurial self-efficacy in Central Asian transition economies: quantitative and qualitative analyses," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(1), pages 92-110, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:ers:journl:v:xxiv:y:2021:i:3b:p:22-35 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Hensel, Lukas & Witte, Marc & Caria, A. Stefano & Fetzer, Thiemo & Fiorin, Stefano & Götz, Friedrich M. & Gomez, Margarita & Haushofer, Johannes & Ivchenko, Andriy & Kraft-Todd, Gordon & Reutskaja, El, 2022. "Global Behaviors, Perceptions, and the Emergence of Social Norms at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 473-496.
    3. Schicks, Jessica, 2014. "Over-Indebtedness in Microfinance – An Empirical Analysis of Related Factors on the Borrower Level," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 301-324.
    4. Meyll, Tobias & Pauls, Thomas, 2019. "The gender gap in over-indebtedness," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 31(C).
    5. Anna M. Helka & Dominika Maison, 2021. "Predictors of the Propensity to Incur Loans for Varying Purposes in the Future," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 1114-1128.
    6. Rogers, Pablo & Rogers, Dany & Securato, José Roberto, 2015. "Sobre variáveis psicológicas em modelos de application scoring," RAE - Revista de Administração de Empresas, FGV-EAESP Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil), vol. 55(1), January.
    7. Mewse, Avril J. & Lea, Stephen E.G. & Wrapson, Wendy, 2010. "First steps out of debt: Attitudes and social identity as predictors of contact by debtors with creditors," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 1021-1034, December.
    8. Stefano Cosma & Francesco Pattarin, 2012. "Attitudes, personality factors and household debt decisions: A study of consumer credit," Centro Studi di Banca e Finanza (CEFIN) (Center for Studies in Banking and Finance) 12021, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Dipartimento di Economia "Marco Biagi".
    9. Stone, Brice & Maury, Rosalinda Vasquez, 2006. "Indicators of personal financial debt using a multi-disciplinary behavioral model," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 543-556, August.
    10. Maria Forlicz & Tomasz Rolczynski, 2020. "Relationship Between Personal Debt Arrears and Risk Attitude– Cross Country Evidence," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(4), pages 586-599.
    11. Robert Neumann, 2019. "The framing of charitable giving: A field experiment at bottle refund machines in Germany," Rationality and Society, , vol. 31(1), pages 98-126, February.
    12. Apffelstaedt, Arno & Freundt, Jana & Oslislo, Christoph, 2022. "Social norms and elections: How elected rules can make behavior (in)appropriate," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 148-177.
    13. Cesar Leandro, Julio & Botelho, Delane, 2022. "Consumer over-indebtedness: A review and future research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 535-551.
    14. Farrow, Katherine & Grolleau, Gilles & Ibanez, Lisette, 2017. "Social Norms and Pro-environmental Behavior: A Review of the Evidence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 1-13.
    15. Christoph Zaborowski & Peter Zweifel, 1999. "Getting Out of Debt: Garnishment of Wage in Whose Interest?," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 207-230, November.
    16. Yeniaras, Volkan & Akkemik, K. Ali & Yucel, Eray, 2016. "Re-considering the linkage between the antecedents and consequences of happiness," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 176-191.
    17. Wang, Lili & Lu, Wei & Malhotra, Naresh K., 2011. "Demographics, attitude, personality and credit card features correlate with credit card debt: A view from China," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 179-193, February.
    18. M. Gagarina A. & A. Shantseva A. & М. Гагарина А. & А. Шанцева А., 2017. "Социально-психологические особенности и уровень финансовой грамотности должников // Socio-Psychological Peculiarities and Level of Financial Literacy of Russian Debtors," Review of Business and Economics Studies // Review of Business and Economics Studies, Финансовый Университет // Financial University, vol. 5(2), pages 5-22.
    19. Keese, Matthias, 2012. "Who feels constrained by high debt burdens? Subjective vs. objective measures of household debt," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 125-141.
    20. Rendall, Stella & Brooks, Chris & Hillenbrand, Carola, 2021. "The impacts of emotions and personality on borrowers’ abilities to manage their debts," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    21. te Velde, Vera L. & Louis, Winnifred, 2022. "Conformity to descriptive norms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 204-222.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social norm; loan; credit use; debt; financial liability.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ers:journl:v:xxiv:y:2021:i:3-part2:p:22-35. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Marios Agiomavritis (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://ersj.eu/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.